Conventionally, a molding apparatus has been used which makes it possible to obtain a molded product that is molded by curing a resin by pressing the resin by a mold. According to such a molding apparatus, relative positional displacement occurs between the mold and the molded product during transfer.
A transfer device of Patent Literature 1 includes: a mold holder for holding a transferring mold; a substrate table on which to provide a substrate to be molded and which faces the mold holder; mold holder driving means for moving the mold holder in a direction in which the mold holder is made close to or away from the substrate table; and substrate table moving means for moving the substrate table in a direction which intersects the direction in which the mold holder moves; and a control section for controlling the substrate table moving means. The substrate table moving means is constituted by a linear motor.
According to the transfer device of Patent Literature 1, a positioning target value is set by measuring and adding amounts of relative positional displacement between the substrate table and the mold holder, the relative positional displacement occurring while a substrate provided on the substrate table is being pressed by a mold held by the mold holder.
During a period before the mold holder has a maximum pressing force while pressing the substrate, the control section causes the substrate table moving means to gradually move a position of the substrate table until the position of the substrate table reaches the positioning target value.
This prevents the substrate table moving means from excessively holding the substrate table during transfer, so that a smaller electric current can flow through the substrate table moving means. This prevents heating from the substrate table moving means.
When the mold holder has a maximum pressing force, a molding target layer of the substrate is cured by applying heat or light to a (heat-curable or photo-curable) resin which serves as the molding target layer. Thereafter, a molded substrate is obtained in a case where the mold holder is away from the substrate table.